Doctors: 'Odds are' NYC patient not carrying Ebola

A man who reported various symptoms is now being tested for the deadly virus Ebola, according to a press release from Mount Sinai Hospital. (Source: MGN)

NEW YORK (RNN) – On Monday, a man who reported various symptoms is now being tested for the deadly virus Ebola, according to a news release from Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan.

Mount Sinai Hospital Dr. Jeremy Boal said the patient remains in isolation, but "odds are" he doesn't have Ebola. Doctors said the man entered the Mount Sinai emergency room complaining of a fever early Monday morning.

Samples are being sent from New York to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Dr. David L. Reich, president and CEO of Mount Sinai Hospital said said during Monday's press conference. Results from his Ebola testing could be known as soon as Monday night or Tuesday morning.

"After consultation with CDC and Mount Sinai, the Health Department has concluded that the patient is unlikely to have Ebola. Specimens are being tested for common causes of illness and to definitively exclude Ebola," the statement said.

The male patient checked himself into the hospital, presenting with some early symptoms of Ebola, including high fever and gastro-intestinal issues.

The man, who has not been identified, had traveled to an unspecified West African country, where a mass outbreak of the virus is occurring.

“The patient has been placed in strict isolation and is undergoing medical screenings to determine the cause of his symptoms. All necessary steps are being taken to ensure the safety of all patients, visitors and staff,” the press release said.

“We will continue to work closely with federal, state and city health officials to address and monitor this case, keep the community informed and provide the best quality care to all of our patients.”

The CDC issued a statement saying since the epidemic broke out, there have been six patients who've been treated for possible Ebola in the U.S. All six had traveled to the affected regions, and all tested negative.

"All necessary steps are being taken to ensure that all safety of visitors and staff," the hospital said in a statement to CNN.

The fatality rate for Ebola is 90 percent, according to the World Health Organization.

Other symptoms include fever, abdominal pain, rash, red eyes, breathing abnormalities, severe headache, joint and muscle aches, weakness, severe weight loss and internal bleeding, according to the Mayo Clinic. These symptoms, of course, can be confused with other ailments, and take between 2 to 21 days for symptoms to appear.

Ebola is introduced by sick animals, and transmitted from human-to-human when direct contact is made with "the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people" of Ebola carriers though the broken skin or mucous membrane of another person.

Two Americans have already contracted Ebola from their work in West Africa. The missionaries, Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol, contracted the disease in Liberia. Brantly arrived in Atlanta on Saturday is is currently being quarantined at Emory University Hospital. Writebol will be arriving in Atlanta on Tuesday. Writebol will be transported on the same special jet that Brantly was flown in on, and left Liberia headed for the U.S. on Monday night.

Both of the patients have been given the experimental serum "ZMapp."

The serum, which has not been tested on humans prior to being administered on the two missionaries, was developed by Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc., headquartered out of San Diego. The company, founded in 2003, was created “to develop novel pharmaceuticals for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, focusing on unmet needs in global health and defenses,” according to the company's website.

It is unclear if anyone else with Ebola will get the serum, according to CNN. The two American patients have received two doses of ZMapp.

The Centers for Disease Control’s Director Dr. Tom Frieden said in a media release on July 31 that Ebola is a complex issue, but “poses little risk to the U.S. general population.”

"In addition, as we always do, we are taking steps to make sure that Americans are safe here. So we work with hospitals and other groups to make sure if there is a traveler with Ebola in the U.S., we would be able to contain that," Frieden said.

The CDC has also issued travel advisories for the West Africa countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone? and Liberia. New cases have also been diagnosed in Nigeria.

The World Health Organization calls the current West Africa outbreak is "unprecedented" with 886 deaths, with more than 1,600 "confirmed and suspected" cases of Ebola since March 2014. The worst cases are in Sierra Leone, with 646 cases, and the World Health Organization says it is spreading rapidly. ?

For questions on what Ebola is, check out this most frequently asked questions list from the CDC by clicking here.

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